APPROVED MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 11 TH OCTOBER 2018 IN THE HOLIDAY INN, WESTHILL

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1 11 TH OCTOBER 2018 IN THE HOLIDAY INN, WESTHILL Community Council Name Position Present Chika Edeh Chairperson Stuart Bews Vice Chairperson David Ritchie Secretary Dawn Anderson Treasurer Daniel Hay Minutes Secretary Heather Coull Member From 8:30pm Raymond Swaffield Member X Bill Loudon Member John Thornton Member Alan Eastell Member Diane Priestley Member Ken Stewart Member Kate Lumsden Member Mandy Duggan Member Brian Colvin Member Cllr David Aitchison Ward 13 Councillor Cllr Iris Walker Ward 13 Councillor X Cllr Ron McKail Ward 13 Councillor Cllr Alistair McKelvie Ward 13 Councillor Members of Public Freda Imrie John Imrie Audrey Findlay Sujan Mahayam Clare Davidson Heather Brock Item 1 Chairperson s welcome and opening remarks The Chairperson welcomed all to the meeting. He requested that the community councillors have a members-only session at the end of the public meeting to discuss the outcome of the Appeal hearing held on 29 th August 2018 following the stage 2 hearing on 2 nd May This was proposed by the Chairperson and seconded by Bill Loudon. The Chairperson advised of the recent meetings between office bearers regarding WECC s way forward. The Chairperson and Vice-chair had made up a draft WECC 2018 Forward Thinking document and it was distributed to those in attendance to gather thoughts and opinions. The Chairperson stated that he wants to update and improve the website and the structure of WECC; he would also like to improve the vision of WECC and finally he would like WECC to be more responsive and more resilient in order to become a stronger group and prevent a repeat of the four month break earlier in the year. The new vision is to: Increase member participation & engagement, Improve WECC governance structure and Improve WECC s responsiveness & involvement across the community. The Chairperson asked Community Councillors for involvement in the new subgroups which will be launching in the next few weeks. 2 Apologies Raymond Swaffield, Councillor Iris Walker Declarations of Interest John Thornton declared an interest about the members-only meeting following the public meeting. 3 Review and Approval of the draft Minutes of September 13 th Meeting Proposed by-brian Colvin, Seconded by Stuart Bews

2 4 Matters Arising Working group to review new constitution A member of the public asked what the role of the office bearers are as a subgroup is being appointed to look at Governance. The Vice-chair advised that office bearers should not make unilateral decisions. The sub groups will allow members to bring recommendations forward for the community council as a whole to make decisions. The Chairperson informed members that he would like to set up a governance group to review the new constitution and related documents. He has appointed Brian Colvin to lead this group. A member of the public asked if just appointing members to lead the sub-groups is the way WECC should be doing it, as she was concerned whether this is democratic or not. The Vice-chair assured everyone that per the constitution, the Chair can appoint people and that Brian Colvin was asked beforehand. He also stated that member involvement is needed and that it is not intended for office bearers to make all the decisions. John Thornton stated that he was unclear of the situation as it has not been discussed with the members. The Chairperson stated that it is Brian s role to lead the governance subgroup and to ensure all documents are aligned. John Thornton enquired about his comments re the new constitution in the September AGM draft minutes, this will be looked into by the Secretary. 5 Police Report PC Steve Middleton was not in attendance, however a report had been submitted. Dawn Anderson mentioned an ongoing issue about a group of men going around doors trying to sell insurance. The Chairperson mentioned reports of opportunists trying doors in Westhill and advised that residents keep their doors locked at all times. 6 Update on Kingsford Stadium Development The Vice-chair stated that there was no further developments re Kingsford that WECC need to deal with and advised members that the next meeting of the working group will be on October 24 th at the Lawsondale Pavilion. A member of the public advised that the Judicial Review appeal has been approved and the procedural hearing will be on the 8 th November A member of the public asked if WECC knew anything about potential signage across A944, The Chairperson was not aware of this and that it will be Aberdeen City Council who will review this due to the location. 7 Strategic Development & Local Development Plans David Ritchie advised we are awaiting the draft LDP Main Issues Report, however A member of the public advised that the report is on the Council website now. Cllr McKail and the Chairperson highlighted that the consultation stage is taking place early in Diane Priestley and John Imrie had attended the bids review meeting in June. There were 22 bids for housing developments around Westhill and Elrick and they had the chance to put down their comments regarding them. Diane Priestley said that it was a very positive meeting. (see the LDP section of Cllr Walker s report on page 4) A member of the public advised that individuals can put in their own comments on the MIR 8 Planning Watch John Long had submitted a planning report with 4 domestic applications for which he had no comments or objections. John has now resigned as a Community Councillor so we are looking for another member to take this job on. A member of the public agreed that someone should take the job on as it is important to have someone to look over the planning applications and visit the sites. The Chairperson is planning to include the Planning Watch in a subgroup. A member of the public advised that the drive thru application on the A944 has gone to a public hearing. The Chairperson stated WECC has not made an objection. The deadline for objections has passed. The Chairperson stated that he does not want WECC to miss deadlines again and believes that the use of subgroups will help to prevent this.

3 9 Ward 13 Councillors Reports Cllr Iris Walker 1. Strategic Development Plan On 24th August, the SDPA (Strategic Development Plan Authority which is made up of a number of both Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City councillors) agreed a Proposed Strategic Development Plan (SDP). Aberdeen City councillors ratified that proposed plan at their full council meeting on 10th September. Aberdeenshire councillors also ratified that proposed plan at our full council meeting on 27th September. I was pleased to see that western expansion is still considered to be premature and is not supported at this time until a range of studies is undertaken which will include an appraisal of the effect of the AWPR. On greenbelt, the Proposed SDP says The green belt around Aberdeen will continue to protect the character and landscape setting of the City and make sure that development is directed to appropriate locations. It will do so whilst protecting the most important undeveloped areas that contribute to the environment and provide the City with its setting. Of course, the City s greenbelt in places, for example on the Western boundary happens to be the same greenbelt that protects Westhill s setting. The plan goes on to say The green belt is an area that should be positively planned for and involve integration of approach across Council boundaries. The Proposed plan is now out for public consultation until 17th December. LDP At Garioch Area Committee on Tuesday (9th Oct), we discussed the LDP further. Officers have set out their preliminary Main Issues Report and Garioch councillors were able to feed in comments. The MIR is still very much a discussion document with the Proposed Main Issues Report going to Infrastructure Services Committee on 29th November. For Westhill, at the moment officers are discounting all but 2 of the 21 bids received. The following bids are recommended on a reserved basis: GR106 Land South of Arnhall Business Park (Phase 4) mixed use employment land and a hotel this site should be taken forward as a reserved option to allow for expansion of the employment hub to the south of Westhill should a need for further employment land in Westhill be established. GR125 Land at former Blockworks site, Straik Road, Elrick the site is subject to planning permission for office and industrial uses however despite marketing the delivery of the site has not progressed. The site offers a prime opportunity to delivery affordable housing. The site would also have potential to deliver a mixed use development offering commercial and retail opportunities alongside housing. The proposal as submitted lacks sufficient detail to be taken forward as a preferred option at this stage and as such is identified as a reserved site to allow for further consideration of the site options and the relevant detail to be submitted. (Today at Area Committee I asked if this site could be prioritised as Westhill is a high priority area for affordable housing and because the SDP rules out any strategic growth for Westhill at this time, this would leave us constrained in terms of any new affordable housing for the foreseeable future. I was pleased to get backing from Cllrs McKelvie and McKail but of course ISC have to agree additional comments and the public consultation may again bring in other views). In the summary of Westhill as a settlement within the LDP document, officers have taken on board feedback from WECC during the Place Standards event held last year and engagement with other groups with the following statements: The lack of smaller and affordable homes is an issue for the local community, particularly to meet the needs of an aging population. It has been suggested that outdoor play and recreation facilities do not meet the needs of the community. There is a desire for a skate park to be developed at the heart of the town, as well as support for the delivery of allotments for use by those living in the community. A gym or improved sports facilities would also be welcomed Most of these of course would not be delivered through the LDP in the short term, but through other strategies and partnership working with council services and others, but it is useful to have local needs/asks specifically documented. Today I asked if the settlement statement for Westhill could be expanded to make comment about greenbelt and how we are going to review this in the future to protect the setting of Westhill. Again, we will have to wait until ISC agree our recommendations or otherwise.

4 Summer Reading Challenge Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of presenting awards to the star readers from the Summer Reading Challenge. The Summer Reading Challenge is now in its 16th year with 4,200 children across Aberdeenshire signing up to take part in 2018 where they are encouraged to read throughout the Summer Holidays from a huge selection of books available at their local library. Westhill had a winner in Mary Yasinskiy (aged 11). Library staff reported that Mary has an incredible passion and enthusiasm for books and is one of our most avid readers. She has a great knowledge of authors and titles and reads all different types of fiction. She really keeps us on our toes and tests our knowledge with her book requests. She s so enthusiastic that the latest book she asked us to search for isn t due to be published until next summer! Well done to Mary and all those who took up the challenge. Rural Crime & Safety Strategy On Tuesday, I had the pleasure along with Chief Inspector Murray Main to help launch the Rural Crime & Safety Strategy. The strategy sets out a framework to support rural community safety and identifies how Police Scotland along with partners will seek to prevent crime and antisocial behaviour. The challenges facing rural communities in Aberdeenshire includes agricultural and road safety, sheep worrying, hare coursing and other wildlife crimes. Arnhall Moss ponds You may have noticed that the ponds in Denman Park/Arnhall have had barley straw bales placed in each. This is an initiative to try to clear algae from the ponds and improve the condition of the water. As the weeks go by, the straw will rot and disintegrate and Environmental Health will monitor the success or otherwise. I do have a handout explaining how the barley straw works to breakdown algae in more technical terms which I am happy to share with anyone who wants to read it! Cllr Ron McKail Cllr McKail had not submitted a report. He mentioned that the Duchess of Rothesay had attended Alford Academy this week, where all the local schools were in attendance. He thanked WECC for their donation to the Pass Plus Scheme, there are now a number of young people undertaking this. Cllr Alistair McKelvie I recently attended a Mental Health and Wellbeing session in the Library, which was arranged by Council Officers. We also had NHS professionals and volunteer groups in attendance. It was well attended by a varied group of local residents, and we participated in a session of awareness and selfassessment led by Officers, and involved taking part in group discussions, recording views and opinions. There will be follow up sessions in the not too distant future, and I would encourage anyone who is either affected by, or has family issues, or has a general interest in Mental Health and Wellbeing to go along and see the support in place. It is open to everyone, including young people. We have in our School Cluster a number of supported children and our Teacher professionals and Council officers have introduced both new facilities and support for the children in their care. I also recently visited the Council s Joint (NHS) Equipment Store in Inverurie, which was a real eye opener, in terms of the vast array of equipment and the expertise in managing and sourcing the equipment. It may be widely expected that wheelchairs, walking sticks, frames, and the like might be available, but we also have numerous aids for the blind, deaf, disabled, and involves alarms, telephony, and technical materials. This equipment is available to our Community to support Independent Living and for permanent and temporary usage. The equipment can be sourced via your GP, Practice Nurse, Physio Professionals, or District nurse. It is also possible for temporary needs to contact the Store directly for collection of a select number of items. Following last year s severe weather conditions, and the experience of many residents, I asked the Community Council to consider communicating to the public, and to get involved with the Council s Snow Warden programme. We have a growing elderly population in Westhill, who in some cases are unable to get out of their property, due to snow and or ice. This applies of course to a range of vulnerable people, not just the elderly.

5 It would not be difficult to co-ordinate a group of volunteers, who could operate in their own locality within Westhill, minimising travel requirements. The Council will supply equipment and advice to support these volunteers, to help make our Community that little bit safer in winter conditions. In addition to above supplied report, Cllr McKelvie advised that he and Cllr McKail went to find out more about the incident at Westhill Academy which occurred a few weeks ago. The incident was between pupils of Bucksburn Academy and Westhill Academy and it had started through social media. The incident was dealt with well by all who were in attendance. A member of the public raised concerns about the NHS not re-using equipment such as walking sticks. Cllr McKelvie highlighted that it costs more for NHS to recycle them than it does to buy them. A member of the public raised concerns about the lack of support for mental health in Aberdeenshire and that something needs to be done to bring in more support for people who suffer from it. Cllr McKail pointed out that Aberdeenshire is not a cheap place to live and therefore it makes it harder to appoint mental health specialists for the area. Cllr McKelvie advised that new rooms have been set up in Westhill Academy and Elrick Primary School, these are peace and tranquillity rooms which will help support certain pupils within the schools. Cllr McKelvie requested that WECC factor in snow wardens in one of the new subgroups as it is an important issue, especially coming into the winter again. A member of the public suggested that WECC have more involvement with children groups such as the Brownies. The Chairperson stated that he is looking to set up a community liaison subgroup which will cover this. It will be advertised in the Bulletin and Facebook page. Cllr David Aitchison- Aberdeen City Council, working with Nestrans, and partners Aberdeenshire Council and the Strategic Development Planning Authority, have commissioned a study to explore options for a new roads hierarchy in Aberdeen. This will involve updating the designation and priority of existing routes in the city to reflect the new role of Aberdeen city centre as a destination and the role of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route in distributing traffic around the city to the most appropriate radial route. An extensive programme of public and stakeholder engagement is commencing to support the study. There are particular aspects which will be of interest to Westhill residents namely:- -Creation of a new roads hierarchy between AWPR & city centre. -Prioritisation of radial routes to transport people to and from city centre destinations. -Improved bus access to the city centre. The development of a new roads hierarchy in Aberdeen will encourage people who choose to access Aberdeen city centre by car to think about taking alternative routes to reach their destination as per the agreed hierarchy. In addition, potential future changes to junctions that intersect priority (radial) routes to and from the city centre could support local traffic only zones and reduce the volume of traffic using residential streets as a through route. A key aim is to provide the means to support travel to the city centre via public transport and active travel improvements. In the coming weeks, a consultation exercise will be started to get input from members of the public and stakeholders. 10 Treasurers Report David Ritchie advised that most of the changeover work between himself and Dawn Anderson has been done. Dawn needs to check with the bank that the cheque signatory changes and Treasurer address change have been processed as the September bank statements still went to David. Bulletin Update- Deadline for winter issue is 2nd November, but 6th November will be ok for Councillor reports. It would be good if a sub-group could be formed to look at improving the Bulletin. David Ritchie

6 11 Sub-group reports Litter Group Report Our planned Litter Pick in September went ahead as normal, in good weather and with a good turnout of volunteers. I have had a response from the Manager of Tesco re the blue disposable glove littering problem. He had spoken to the Petrol Station Manager and said that they had experienced problems with birds (Gulls?) pulling things out of the bins at night. They now will tie off the bins at night in attempt to control the problem. Our next Litter Pick is scheduled for 20th October Raymond Swaffield Gateway Art Project. Kate Lumsden advised that we did not receive National Lottery Funding for the landscaping part of the project. A meeting with the Area Manager has been arranged for next week to see if the Council can help with funding the landscaping. FES are going to help with the lighting. The subgroup will be having a skype call with artist Holger Lonze very soon to discuss the progress. Christmas Lights The Pat Testing of the lights by a couple of guys from Men Shed was completed on 1 st October and we have got permission from the Council to put the lights up as normal. I put 6 lights away to Blachere Illuminations in Fife for repair in September. The work on 4 of them cost 428, the other 2 were free as they were still under warranty from repairs done in The warranty work also meant that we weren t charged for carriage on any of the lights. From initial discussions with Scott Reid of FES, they are willing again to help us put up the street festive lights around mid -November and the lights on Christmas tree in shopping centre early December. David Ritchie 12 Correspondence David Ritchie advised that there has not been much correspondence that required discussion. Diane Priestley asked if anyone would like an allotment in Westhill and if they do, they could get in touch with her or fill in the survey which will be launched shortly. Bill Loudon advised that there has been discussion over the years about allotments in Westhill area but no suitable piece of land has been identified. A member of the public mentioned that Dunecht Estates were an option however they were not willing to give any land up there. The Chairperson will look into putting information about allotments on the website. A member of the public advised David that there was correspondence between WAEPAL and WECC secretary regarding WAEPAL putting article in the Bulletin. David Ritchie was not aware of it but will look into this. 13 AOCB Christmas Event David Ritchie advised that the earliest date allowed for the Christmas lights to go up is the 14 th November, it is hoped that the lights will be up soon after this date. He advised the brass band we had last year has been booked for the Christmas Event at Westhill Shopping Centre on 8 th December. Cllr McKail suggested that WECC get the local schools involved with the event as there is a lot of talent amongst the children. The Chairperson agreed and will look into this. He requested more involvement from members for the events and desires WECC to be more proactive when it comes to the different activities and events.

7 Cllr McKail asked if it would be possible for WECC to get a separate Community Council noticeboard which can be put up somewhere in the heart of Westhill. A member of the public advised that there was an agreement made with Westhill Shopping Centre some time ago however, this did not happen. A member of the public advised that Westhill Rotary were willing to pay for this notice board when it was last enquired about. Cllr McKelvie suggested that WECC request permission from the Westhill Shopping Centre to put up a noticeboard there. The Chairperson requested Community Councillors to make jobs within the Community Council more shared. The Chairperson also expressed his desire to get more young people involved, such as having school kids involved with the Bulletin and the website as this will drive more traffic to WECC and help us become more known. The Chairperson explained the need for the subgroups as it will make WECC prepared for any community event or issue. The Vice-chair talked through the new subgroups and explained what each group involved: Governance subgroup WECC needs to have a clear constitution and to monitor governance documents. The purpose of the group is to ensure that all governing documents are aligned and do not conflict with each other. Vicechair stated that each subgroup is expected to report back to the Community Council at the monthly meetings. A member of the public asked if Standing Orders would be reviewed by the governance group, Stuart stated that they will be reviewed as it is relevant. Communication Subgroup The Vice-chair highlighted the struggle WECC have been having to get opinions and views on matters as we are not well known to the public. This group will be aimed at engagement with the Community. Recommendations from the group will be brought back to the Community Council at the meetings and then action will be taken. WECC Development Plans Subgroup The Vice-chair highlighted that it was made clear at the last meeting that WECC are not aware of developments in Aberdeen city. He expressed the need for a group to focus on the SDP and LDPs. The group will be expected to provide regular updates. A member of the public agreed that this group is required as developments in Aberdeen affect Westhill. She stated that we need to work together as it is very important to know what Aberdeen City Council are doing. The Chairperson assured everyone that the group will provide regular updates regarding this. A member of the public mentioned WAEPAL and informed the group of the aims of the organisation. The Chairperson thanked everyone for coming and drew the public meeting to a close at 20:45pm 14 After the coffee break, the Chairperson advised that the next item on agenda was for community councillors only (no members of public) as it was to discuss the outcome of the Appeal Hearing held on 29 th August (re the Stage 2 Complaint Hearing held on 2 nd May). Date of next meeting Thursday 8 th November 2018, Holiday Inn, Westhill Daniel Hay Minutes Secretary

8 TREASURER FINANCIAL REPORT ( Receipts & Payments between the September & October meetings) GENERAL FUNDS ADVERTISING PRE-PAID FOR AUTUMN & WINTER 2018 ISSUES LITTER CAMPAIGN FUND TOTAL FUNDS IN BANK AT 13/09/ Receipts in period 14/09/18 to 11/10/18 Bulletin advertisers-autumn issue Transfer of autumn issue pre-paid adverts to General Funds Bank interest Payments in period 14/09/18 to 11/10/18 Sundry admin Expenses Meetings room hires XIC- Bulletin autumn issue printing Autumn Bulletin honorarium Bulletin sundries & postages Blachere Illumination - festive lights repair Printing consumables Secretary Honorariums for 1Q & 3Q R. Swaffield- reimburse refuse bags for litter-picks Westhill in Bloom Prizes & Expenses Gateway Art Project-sundry expenses Garioch & N, Marr Community Safety Group- funding for Pass Plus driving subsidies FUNDS IN BANK AT 11/10/